01 Installing CoreELEC - betatester3016/CoreELEC GitHub Wiki

The instructions bellow are for ARM based SBC's and TV Boxes reported to work with CoreELEC. End user support for these devices is provided by the CoreELEC User Support Forums.

Requirements:

• Personal Computer with Internet Access
• Class 10 (USH 1/V 10) or better (μ)SD Card or USB Flash Drive meeting device specifications (1)
• Image Writing Software
• Toothpick or paperclip (needed on some models to press the reset button)

Image writing software:

Linux command line:

 gunzip ce_image.img.gz | dd of=</dev/path/to/bootmedia> bs=1M conv=fsync

Use the CoreELEC Download Helper to download the desired CoreELEC Edition (Stable, Nightly or Legacy) onto a personal computer, then use the image writing software to create a bootable (μ)SD Card / USB Flash Drive (boot media):

Once completed, the (μ)SD Card / USB Flash Drive capacity should show 512MB. The remainder of the drive will be initialized during first boot as storage partition for CoreELEC user data.

Browse to the device_trees folder on the boot media, and copy the .dtb image file for the device that will be running CoreELEC onto the main (root) folder of the (μ)SD Card / USB Flash Drive, then rename it to dtb.img

NOTE: this step might require removing and reinserting the boot media to have the partition recognized by the OS.

Instructions

Please use the tables bellow to identify a device tree for the target device:

Table 1 - Differences between a generic and a device specific device tree

Table 2 - Board reference & SoC status within CoreELEC development cycle

Legend

To boot CoreELEC for the first time, one the following techniques can be used:

TV box

• Android APK method: Reboot to LibreELEC reportedly works with CoreELEC. Insert boot media and run the app, then follow the onscreen instructions. The device should reboot into CoreELEC.
• Terminal Emulator method: boot to Android, insert boot media, install Jackpal's Terminal Emulator for Android. Open a terminal and type reboot update, followed by the [Enter] key. The device should reboot into CoreELEC.
• Reset Button method: also called the "toothpick method". Disconnect the power supply, insert boot media, push the reset button (sometimes only accessible with a toothpick or paperclip, can be hidden in the AV port), and connect the power while holding the button. Wait until the CoreELEC logo appears, then release the button.
• Menu Button method: this method has been reported to work with some devices. Disconnect the power supply, insert boot media, then push menu button of the remote control, and connect the power while holding the button. Wait until the CoreELEC logo appears, then release the button.
• Recovery method #01: boot into Android, insert boot media and choose reboot to recovery. The device should boot into CoreELEC.
• Recovery method #02: if the device has an "Update" app pre-installed, open it, insert boot media, and choose any ZIP file in the app for update. The device should now boot into CoreELEC.
• Recovery method #03: enable ADB and issue adb reboot update, followed by [Enter].
• Specific MINIX devices: insert boot media, plug in the power cord, then hold power button for a minimum of 6 seconds or until the CoreELEC logo appears.

SBC

• Khadas VIM: insert boot media and start in Upgrade Mode. The device should now boot into CoreELEC.
• Odroid: insert boot media, unplug eMMC, then power on. The device should now boot into CoreELEC.

Notes

• on certain devices only one method is possible. The methods are listed from easy to complex. Please try each method before seeking support.
• on some devices, only 1 USB slot allows for booting the device. Please try each USB slot before seeking support.
• some devices only boot from (μ)SD Card while others only accept a USB Flash Drive.

CoreELEC natively supports a vast selection of infrared remote control units (remote).

If CoreELEC does not respond as expected to an otherwise functional factory remote, a compatible remote configuraton file can be copied onto the main (root) folder of the boot media to make the remote work.

For devices with a VFD similar to the one in the picture above:

• Proceed to the VFD Repository
• Find a configuration that matches the device and rename it to vfd.conf
• Ensure the file is saved in RAW format
• Copy the vfd.conf file to the /storage/.config/ folder of the device
• Install the OpenVFD Service via the Kodi addon manager from the CoreELEC Repository
• Reboot the device

Currently only 1 device is know to require a custom dtb.img: the A95X-R2. The dtb.img for this device can be found in the device_trees folder of the boot media.

Setup Kodi

(1) ensure boot media is compatible with device (eq: a device with a 16Gb (μ)SD Card slot might be unable to boot from a 32Gb (μ)SD Card). 8Gb should be recognized by the vast majority of Android TV Boxes.